U.S. patent number 11,255,910 [Application Number 16/164,470] was granted by the patent office on 2022-02-22 for telephone connector to audio connector mapping and leveling device.
This patent grant is currently assigned to CYARA SOLUTIONS PTY LTD. The grantee listed for this patent is Cyara Solutions Pty Ltd. Invention is credited to Tony Dux, Geoff Willshire.
United States Patent |
11,255,910 |
Dux , et al. |
February 22, 2022 |
Telephone connector to audio connector mapping and leveling
device
Abstract
A system and methods for adaptive bi-direction audio wiring, in
which a circuit may be attached via a headset port using RJ9 pin
configurations in a phone handset, and dynamically test many
different phone handset configurations for optimal audio pathing
and processing for speaker and microphone audio generation with
minimal noise, static, or power fluctuation.
Inventors: |
Dux; Tony (Chermside,
AU), Willshire; Geoff (Yeronga, AU) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Cyara Solutions Pty Ltd |
Hawthorn |
N/A |
AU |
|
|
Assignee: |
CYARA SOLUTIONS PTY LTD
(Hawthorn Vic, AU)
|
Family
ID: |
70279551 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/164,470 |
Filed: |
October 18, 2018 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20200124670 A1 |
Apr 23, 2020 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01R
31/31723 (20130101); H04R 5/04 (20130101); G01R
31/31721 (20130101); G01R 31/31715 (20130101); H04Q
1/00 (20130101); H02M 3/33523 (20130101); H04M
1/6033 (20130101); G01R 31/31926 (20130101); H01R
2201/16 (20130101); H01R 31/065 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G01R
31/319 (20060101); H02M 3/335 (20060101); G01R
31/317 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Le; Son T
Assistant Examiner: Clarke; Adam S
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Galvin Patent Law LLC Galvin; Brian
R.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A device for adapting telephone connectors to audio connectors,
comprising: a plurality of multiplexers capable of interfacing with
a controller; a plurality of potentiometers capable of interfacing
with a controller; a telephone connector socket; an audio connector
socket; and a controller comprising a processor, a memory, and a
plurality of programming instructions, wherein the programming
instructions, when acting on the processor, cause the controller
to: receive a configuration for mapping of pins between a telephone
connector and an audio connector; configure the plurality of
multiplexers to map electrical signals between each pin of the
telephone connector and the corresponding pin of the audio
connector, based on the configuration; and configure the plurality
of potentiometers to adjust the impedance of the electrical signals
between each pin of the telephone connector and the corresponding
pin of the audio connector, based on the configuration, whereby
signals received at any pin of a connection at one end of the
device will be passed through to the corresponding pin of a
connection at the other end of the device based on the selected
configuration.
2. The device of claim 1, further comprising: a configuration test
module, which: generates audio test signals between each pin of a
connection at one end of the device; and confirms the receipt and
quality of the signal at the pin other end of the device
corresponding to the configuration.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein an audio line driver is connected
to the multiplexers, for the purpose of separating either input
signal received, into a balanced output pair, using differential
output amplification.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein a DC-to-DC converter regulates
input power to a constant voltage in the circuit and provides
galvanic isolation for the ground line in the circuitry, to avoid
problems due to dirty power and avoid AC hum.
5. An automated device for adapting telephone connectors to audio
connectors, comprising: a plurality of multiplexers capable of
interfacing with a controller; a plurality of potentiometers
capable of interfacing with a controller; a telephone connector
socket; an audio connector socket; and a controller comprising a
processor, a memory, and a plurality of programming instructions,
wherein the programming instructions, when acting on the processor,
cause the controller to: detect electrical signals from a
connection at a telephone connector socket; cycle through
configurations for mapping of electrical signals from the telephone
connector to an audio connector; configure the plurality of
multiplexers to map electrical signals between each pin of the
telephone connector and the corresponding pin of the audio
connector, based on the currently-selected configuration; and
configure the plurality of potentiometers to adjust the impedance
of the electrical signals between each pin of the telephone
connector and the corresponding pin of the audio connector, based
on the current configuration cycle; test the current configuration
for connectivity and signal quality at each pin; and select the
most appropriate configuration, whereby, when a connections are
made to the telephone connector socket and the audio connector
socket of the device, the device will automatically determine the
correct configuration for the connected devices, and signals
received at any pin of a connection at one end of the device will
be passed through to the corresponding pin of a connection at the
other end of the device based on the determined configuration.
6. The device of claim 5, further comprising: an audio signal
generator, which: generates audio test signals in the appropriate
direction between each pin of the connection at the telephone
connector socket and the corresponding pin at the audio connector
socket based on the selected configuration; and confirms the
receipt and quality of the signal at the other end of the
connection in each pin corresponding with the configuration;
wherein the generation and confirmation of audio signals assists
the controller in confirming the appropriate selection of
configurations.
7. The device of claim 5, wherein an audio line driver is connected
to the multiplexers, for the purpose of separating either input
signal received, into a balanced output pair, using differential
output amplification.
8. The device of claim 5, wherein a DC-to-DC converter regulates
input power to a constant voltage in the circuit and provides
galvanic isolation for the ground line in the circuitry, to avoid
problems due to dirty power and avoid AC hum.
9. A method for adapting telephone connectors to audio connectors,
comprising the steps of: receiving, at a controller, a
configuration for mapping of pins between a telephone connector and
an audio connector; configuring a plurality of multiplexers to map
electrical signals between each pin of the telephone connector and
the corresponding pin of the audio connector, based on the
configuration; and configuring a plurality of potentiometers to
adjust the impedance of the electrical signals between each pin of
the telephone connector and the corresponding pin of the audio
connector, based on the configuration, whereby signals received at
any pin of a connection at one end of the device will be passed
through to the corresponding pin of a connection at the other end
of the device based on the selected configuration.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:
generating audio test signals between each pin of a connection at
one end of the device; and confirming the receipt and quality of
the signal at the pin other end of the device corresponding to the
configuration.
11. The method of claim 9, comprising the further step of
connecting an audio line driver to the multiplexers, for the
purpose of separating either input signal received, into a balanced
output pair, using differential output amplification.
12. The method of claim 9, comprising the further step of using a
DC-to-DC converter to regulate input power to a constant voltage in
the circuit and provides galvanic isolation for the ground line in
the circuitry, to avoid problems due to dirty power and avoid AC
hum.
13. A method for automatically adapting telephone connectors to
audio connectors, comprising the steps of: detecting electrical
signals from a connection at a telephone connector socket; cycling
through configurations for mapping of electrical signals from the
telephone connector to an audio connector; configuring the
plurality of multiplexers to map electrical signals between each
pin of the telephone connector and the corresponding pin of the
audio connector, based on the currently-selected configuration; and
configuring the plurality of potentiometers to adjust the impedance
of the electrical signals between each pin of the telephone
connector and the corresponding pin of the audio connector, based
on the current configuration cycle; testing the current
configuration for connectivity and signal quality at each pin; and
selecting the most appropriate configuration, whereby, when a
connections are made to the telephone connector socket and the
audio connector socket of the device, the device will automatically
determine the correct configuration for the connected devices, and
signals received at any pin of a connection at one end of the
device will be passed through to the corresponding pin of a
connection at the other end of the device based on the determined
configuration.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:
generating audio test signals in the appropriate direction between
each pin of the connection at the telephone connector socket and
the corresponding pin at the audio connector socket based on the
selected configuration; and confirming the receipt and quality of
the signal at the other end of the connection in each pin
corresponding with the configuration; wherein the generation and
confirmation of audio signals assists the controller in confirming
the appropriate selection of configurations.
15. The method of claim 13, comprising the further step of
connecting an audio line driver to the multiplexers, for the
purpose of separating either input signal received, into a balanced
output pair, using differential output amplification.
16. The method of claim 13, comprising the further step of using a
DC-to-DC converter to regulate input power to a constant voltage in
the circuit and provides galvanic isolation for the ground line in
the circuitry, to avoid problems due to dirty power and avoid AC
hum.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
None.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Art
The disclosure relates to the field of telecommunication devices,
and more specifically the field of automated mapping and leveling
of telephone connector pins to audio connector pins.
Discussion of the State of the Art
Modern telecommunications devices use two primary types of
connectors. Telephone connectors connect telephone equipment to a
handset, and audio connectors connect audio equipment to headphones
and headsets. Particularly in cases where phone conversations are
frequent (for example, call centers), it is desirable to use a
headset in place of a handset. However, telephone equipment uses
telephone connectors as standard, whereas audio headsets use audio
connectors as standard. Therefore, use of an audio headset with
telephone equipment requires an adapter. While the physical
configuration for the two types of connectors is standardized, the
mapping of the pins for each connector is different for each
different manufacturer of telephone equipment and headsets. Thus,
headsets from certain manufacturers will not work with the
telephone equipment of other manufacturers. Some specialized
adaptor cables are available, but have fixed mappings, and thus are
limited to adapting one particular audio device configuration to
one particular telephony equipment device configuration.
What is needed is a configurable or automated device that easily
adapts a wide range of telephone audio devices for use with a wide
range of telephone equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the inventor has conceived and reduced to practice a
device and method easily adapts a wide range of telephone audio
devices for use with a wide range of telephone equipment using
circuitry that maps the signals from telephone connector pins to
the corresponding audio connector pins and provides automated line
testing and leveling for each pin. The following non-limiting
summary of the invention is provided for clarity, and should be
construed consistently with embodiments described in the detailed
description below.
According to a preferred embodiment, a device for adapting
telephone connectors to audio connectors is disclosed, comprising:
a plurality of multiplexers capable of interfacing with a
controller; a plurality of potentiometers capable of interfacing
with a controller; an telephone connector socket; an audio
connector socket; and a controller comprising a processor, a
memory, and a plurality of programming instructions, wherein the
programming instructions, when acting on the processor, cause the
controller to: receive a configuration for mapping of pins between
a telephone connector and an audio connector; configure the
plurality of multiplexers to map electrical signals between each
pin of the telephone connector and the corresponding pin of the
audio connector, based on the configuration; and configure the
plurality of potentiometers to adjust the impedance of the
electrical signals between each pin of the telephone connector and
the corresponding pin of the audio connector, based on the
configuration, whereby signals received at any pin of a connection
at one end of the device will be passed through to the
corresponding pin of a connection at the other end of the device
based on the selected configuration.
According to another preferred embodiment, an automated device for
adapting telephone connectors to audio connectors is disclosed,
comprising: a plurality of multiplexers capable of interfacing with
a controller; a plurality of potentiometers capable of interfacing
with a controller; an telephone connector socket; an audio
connector socket; and a controller comprising a processor, a
memory, and a plurality of programming instructions, wherein the
programming instructions, when acting on the processor, cause the
controller to: detect electrical signals from a connection at a
telephone connector socket; cycle through configurations for
mapping of electrical signals from the telephone connector to an
audio connector; configure the plurality of multiplexers to map
electrical signals between each pin of the telephone connector and
the corresponding pin of the audio connector, based on the
currently-selected configuration; and configure the plurality of
potentiometers to adjust the impedance of the electrical signals
between each pin of the telephone connector and the corresponding
pin of the audio connector, based on the current configuration
cycle; test the current configuration for connectivity and signal
quality at each pin; and select the most appropriate configuration,
whereby, when a connections are made to the telephone connector
socket and the audio connector socket of the device, the device
will automatically determine the correct configuration for the
connected devices, and signals received at any pin of a connection
at one end of the device will be passed through to the
corresponding pin of a connection at the other end of the device
based on the determined configuration.
A method for adapting telephone connectors to audio connectors is
disclosed, comprising the steps of: receiving, at a controller, a
configuration for mapping of pins between a telephone connector and
an audio connector; configuring a plurality of multiplexers to map
electrical signals between each pin of the telephone connector and
the corresponding pin of the audio connector, based on the
configuration; and configuring a plurality of potentiometers to
adjust the impedance of the electrical signals between each pin of
the telephone connector and the corresponding pin of the audio
connector, based on the configuration, whereby signals received at
any pin of a connection at one end of the device will be passed
through to the corresponding pin of a connection at the other end
of the device based on the selected configuration.
A method for automatically adapting telephone connectors to audio
connectors is disclosed, comprising the steps of: detecting
electrical signals from a connection at a telephone connector
socket; cycling through configurations for mapping of electrical
signals from the telephone connector to an audio connector;
configuring the plurality of multiplexers to map electrical signals
between each pin of the telephone connector and the corresponding
pin of the audio connector, based on the currently-selected
configuration; and configuring the plurality of potentiometers to
adjust the impedance of the electrical signals between each pin of
the telephone connector and the corresponding pin of the audio
connector, based on the current configuration cycle; testing the
current configuration for connectivity and signal quality at each
pin; and selecting the most appropriate configuration, whereby,
when a connections are made to the telephone connector socket and
the audio connector socket of the device, the device will
automatically determine the correct configuration for the connected
devices, and signals received at any pin of a connection at one end
of the device will be passed through to the corresponding pin of a
connection at the other end of the device based on the determined
configuration.
According to an aspect of an embodiment, a configuration test
module generates audio test signals between each pin of a
connection at one end of the device, and confirms the receipt and
quality of the signal at the pin other end of the device
corresponding to the configuration.
According to an aspect of an embodiment, an audio signal generator
generates audio test signals in the appropriate direction between
each pin of the connection at the telephone connector socket and
the corresponding pin at the audio connector socket based on the
selected configuration, and confirms the receipt and quality of the
signal at the other end of the connection in each pin corresponding
with the configuration, wherein the generation and confirmation of
audio signals assists the controller in confirming the appropriate
selection of configurations.
According to an aspect of an embodiment, an audio line driver is
connected to the multiplexers, for the purpose of separating either
input signal received, into a balanced output pair, using
differential output amplification.
According to an aspect of an embodiment, a DC-to-DC converter
regulates input power to a constant voltage in the circuit and
provides galvanic isolation for the ground line in the circuitry,
to avoid problems due to dirty power and avoid AC hum.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
The accompanying drawings illustrate several aspects and, together
with the description, serve to explain the principles of the
invention according to the aspects. It will be appreciated by one
skilled in the art that the particular arrangements illustrated in
the drawings are merely exemplary, and are not to be considered as
limiting of the scope of the invention or the claims herein in any
way.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary architecture
for a telephony system that uses a call generation device, a call
delivery framework, a communication endpoint for receiving a call,
and an audio generation device connected to the communication
endpoint to facilitate automated testing protocols and sequences,
according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram of a method for determining a Mean
Opinion Score for a call experience, using a system of the
invention.
FIG. 3 is another process flow diagram of a method for determining
a Mean Opinion Score for a call experience, using a system of the
invention.
FIG. 4 is an exemplary state transition diagram illustrating a
plurality of events that may occur in one or more possible stages
during a downstream test sequence, according to a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 is an exemplary state transition diagram illustrating a
plurality of events that may occur in one or more possible stages
during an upstream test sequence, according to a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram of a method that may be used to
set and check necessary settings and conditions prior to completing
the method as depicted in FIG. 2 or the method as depicted in FIG.
3.
FIG. 7 is a system diagram of a preferred embodiment of a device
for mapping and line leveling of pins from an RJ9 socket to a TRRS
socket.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a method of configuration discovery
for novel or unknown configurations, according to an aspect.
FIG. 9 is an exemplary system diagram of another preferred
embodiment of a device for mapping and line leveling of pins from
an RJ9 socket to a TRRS socket.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary hardware
architecture of a computing device.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary logical
architecture for a client device.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an exemplary architectural
arrangement of clients, servers, and external services.
FIG. 13 is another block diagram illustrating an exemplary hardware
architecture of a computing device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The inventor has conceived, and reduced to practice, a device that
easily adapts a wide range of headsets for use with a wide range of
telephone equipment using circuitry that maps the signals from
telephone connector pins to the corresponding audio connector pins
and provides automated line testing and leveling for each pin.
Definitions
The term "telephone connector" as used herein means any connector
used to connect a telephone or telephone equipment to a device
containing speakers for outputting audio, a microphone for
inputting audio, or both. This term includes, but is not limited to
RJ9, RJ10, RJ22: 4P4C or 4P2C, modular jacks currently in use for
telephone handsets.
The term "audio connector" as used herein means any connector used
to connect audio equipment to a device containing speakers for
outputting audio, a microphone for inputting audio, or both. Audio
connectors are often called phone connectors, phone jacks, audio
jacks, headphone jacks, and jack plugs, the most common sizes of
which are 2.5 mm, 3.5 mm, and 1/4 inch. The term "audio connector"
includes, but is not limited to, audio connectors of types TS, TRS,
TRRS, or TRRRS, where "T" stands for "tip", R stands for "ring",
and "S" stands for "sleeve".
The term "socket" as used herein means a receptacle for connecting
a telephone connector or an audio connector.
The term "pin" as used herein means the end of a wire, or an
attachment to the end of a wire, that makes an electrical
connection by physical contact with another pin, wire, or
electrical component.
The term "line" as used herein means the wire connected to a pin
through which electrical signals are transmitted.
One or more different aspects may be described in the present
application. Further, for one or more of the aspects described
herein, numerous alternative arrangements may be described; it
should be appreciated that these are presented for illustrative
purposes only and are not limiting of the aspects contained herein
or the claims presented herein in any way. One or more of the
arrangements may be widely applicable to numerous aspects, as may
be readily apparent from the disclosure. In general, arrangements
are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the
art to practice one or more of the aspects, and it should be
appreciated that other arrangements may be utilized and that
structural, logical, software, electrical and other changes may be
made without departing from the scope of the particular aspects.
Particular features of one or more of the aspects described herein
may be described with reference to one or more particular aspects
or figures that form a part of the present disclosure, and in which
are shown, by way of illustration, specific arrangements of one or
more of the aspects. It should be appreciated, however, that such
features are not limited to usage in the one or more particular
aspects or figures with reference to which they are described. The
present disclosure is neither a literal description of all
arrangements of one or more of the aspects nor a listing of
features of one or more of the aspects that must be present in all
arrangements.
Headings of sections provided in this patent application and the
title of this patent application are for convenience only, and are
not to be taken as limiting the disclosure in any way.
Devices that are in communication with each other need not be in
continuous communication with each other, unless expressly
specified otherwise. In addition, devices that are in communication
with each other may communicate directly or indirectly through one
or more communication means or intermediaries, logical or
physical.
A description of an aspect with several components in communication
with each other does not imply that all such components are
required. To the contrary, a variety of optional components may be
described to illustrate a wide variety of possible aspects and in
order to more fully illustrate one or more aspects. Similarly,
although process steps, method steps, algorithms or the like may be
described in a sequential order, such processes, methods and
algorithms may generally be configured to work in alternate orders,
unless specifically stated to the contrary. In other words, any
sequence or order of steps that may be described in this patent
application does not, in and of itself, indicate a requirement that
the steps be performed in that order. The steps of described
processes may be performed in any order practical. Further, some
steps may be performed simultaneously despite being described or
implied as occurring non-simultaneously (e.g., because one step is
described after the other step). Moreover, the illustration of a
process by its depiction in a drawing does not imply that the
illustrated process is exclusive of other variations and
modifications thereto, does not imply that the illustrated process
or any of its steps are necessary to one or more of the aspects,
and does not imply that the illustrated process is preferred. Also,
steps are generally described once per aspect, but this does not
mean they must occur once, or that they may only occur once each
time a process, method, or algorithm is carried out or executed.
Some steps may be omitted in some aspects or some occurrences, or
some steps may be executed more than once in a given aspect or
occurrence.
When a single device or article is described herein, it will be
readily apparent that more than one device or article may be used
in place of a single device or article. Similarly, where more than
one device or article is described herein, it will be readily
apparent that a single device or article may be used in place of
the more than one device or article.
The functionality or the features of a device may be alternatively
embodied by one or more other devices that are not explicitly
described as having such functionality or features. Thus, other
aspects need not include the device itself.
Techniques and mechanisms described or referenced herein will
sometimes be described in singular form for clarity. However, it
should be appreciated that particular aspects may include multiple
iterations of a technique or multiple instantiations of a mechanism
unless noted otherwise. Process descriptions or blocks in figures
should be understood as representing modules, segments, or portions
of code which include one or more executable instructions for
implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process.
Alternate implementations are included within the scope of various
aspects in which, for example, functions may be executed out of
order from that shown or discussed, including substantially
concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality
involved, as would be understood by those having ordinary skill in
the art.
One use case for the system and method described herein is to adapt
proprietary audio testing equipment that uses audio connectors for
use with a range of telephone equipment that uses telephony
connectors. In this use case, the lines from the audio testing
equipment connectors (for example, TRS/TRRS/TRRRS) will be
automatically mapped to the corresponding lines on the telephony
connectors (for example, RJ9). The proprietary audio equipment can
thus be easily and quickly connected to telephony equipment from a
variety of manufacturers without having to use purpose-built,
hardwired cables or adapters. It can be seen that such use would
allow for a much greater efficiency in testing telephony equipment
using proprietary audio testing equipment. It will be readily
apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art that other use cases
may be possible for the use of the invention described herein, and
a specific use of this invention such as described previously is
not limiting on the invention in any way.
Conceptual Architecture
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary architecture
for a telephony system 100 that uses a call generation device 110
with access to a datastore 120, a call delivery framework 140, a
communication endpoint 150 for receiving a call, such as, for
example, a computing sound device or a telephone turret, an audio
generation device 170 connected to communication endpoint 150 via a
specially made connection 160 such that testing protocols and
sequences may be automatically executed in a live environment, to
test the call delivery framework 140 or associated components in a
simulated call originating from either end of the telephony system
100, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The call
generation device 110 may place a call over the call delivery
framework 140 to the audio generation device 170 by initiating
protocols to direct the communication endpoint 150 to automatically
answer and connect the call to the audio generation device 170.
Conversely, the audio generation device 170 may place a call to the
call generation device 110 by initiating protocols to direct the
communication endpoint 150 to initiate a call within the call
delivery framework 140, directed to the call generation device 110.
The audio generation device 170 may be connected to system 100 to
facilitate an automatic Mean Opinion Score calculation. The audio
generation device 170 may be connected to a local administrative
network 180, which may be, for example, an in-band audio signaling
network for basic functions such as device reboot or an adjunct IP
network (wired Ethernet or WiFi) established for administrative
purposes or onsite troubleshooting using administrative tools such
as computing devices 190A/B/C/D. Typically, administrative tools
190A/B/C/D may not be accommodated on a network supporting the call
delivery framework 140, hence may need a separate network 180 to
access the audio generation device 170 without needing to obtain
access permissions for the call delivery framework 140.
It should be appreciated that according to the embodiment, various
means of connection or communication between the components of
system 100 may be utilized according to the invention
interchangeably or simultaneously, such as for example a direct,
physical data connection (such as via a data cable or similar
physical means), a software-based connection such as via an
application programming interface (API) or other software
communication means (such as may be suitable, for example, in
arrangements where multiple system components may operate on a
single hardware device such as a computing server or workstation),
or any of a variety of network connections such as via the Internet
or other data communications network. It should therefore be
appreciated that the connections shown are exemplary in nature and
represent only a selection of possible arrangements and that
alternate or additional connections may be utilized according to
the invention.
FIG. 2 is process flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method 200
for testing a system 100 in both directions: upstream from audio
generation device 170 to call generation device 110, and downstream
from call generation device 110 to audio generation device 170, in
both cases, via a dedicated communication endpoint 150 connected to
a call delivery framework 140. In a preferred embodiment of the
invention, call generation device 110 sends known commands to audio
generation device 170 by playing tones of differing frequencies to
identify and execute commands, such as changing volume settings of
communication endpoint 150, preparing audio generation device 170
to capture an audio file, processing an audio file to calculate a
quality score, and/or initiating a soft or hard reboot of methods
200/300. Audio generation device 170 may be configured to play an
alive tone 425/525 at predetermined intervals, for example, every
10 seconds, to alert call generation device 110 that audio
generation device 170 is available, in an idle position, awaiting
commands. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, call
generation device 110, connected to system 100, places a call to
communication endpoint 201, communication endpoint answers call
automatically 203, waits for alive tone 205 and if no tone is
received, may terminate the call 210. In such a case, the process
may start again. Once an alive tone 425/525 is confirmed 212, call
generation device 110 requests audio generation device to play 215
a predetermined reference audio file 469 which matches one stored
in datastore 120. Reference audio file 469 is stored on audio
generation device 170, which prepares a copy of audio file 469 then
plays audio file 469 as an utterance 220. Call generation device
110 receives, captures, and stores 230 reference audio file 469 to
process by comparing the transmitted audio file 469 to its matching
counterpart as stored in datastore 120. The call generation device
110 processes the captured reference audio file 469 as an utterance
240 such that an experience score as a Mean Opinion Score (MOS) may
be calculated 250 by the call generation device 110, in accordance
with a prescribed full reference algorithm as a function of PESQ
score mapping. Call generation device 110 records and logs a Mean
Opinion Score 260, and may store it in datastore 120 before
terminating the call 270.
FIG. 3 is another process flow diagram illustrating an exemplary
method 300 for testing a system 100 in both directions: upstream
from audio generation device 170 to call generation device 110, and
downstream from call generation device 110 to audio generation
device 170, in both cases, via a dedicated communication endpoint
150 connected to a call delivery framework 140. In a preferred
embodiment of the invention, call generation device 110 places a
call 301 to communication endpoint 150, which automatically answers
the call 303, waits for alive tone 305 and if no tone is received,
may terminate the call 310. In such a case, the process may start
again. Once an alive tone 425/525 is confirmed 312, call generation
device 110 directs audio generation device 170 to capture an
audible utterance 315. Call generation retrieves audio file from
datastore 120, plays audio as an utterance 320, then audio
generation device captures the utterance 330. Call generation
device directs audio generation device to stop capturing audio and
store the captured audio file 335, then to process the captured
utterance 340 such that the audio generation device 170 may
calculate a Mean Opinion Score (MOS) 350, in order to speak the
result 355 back to the call generation device 110. The call
generation device 110 recognizes the speech and logs the MOS result
360 into datastore 120. Audio generation device 170 replays the
captured utterance 370 to the call generation device 110, and the
call generation device 110 records and stores the utterance file
380 in datastore 120, before terminating the call 390.
FIG. 4 is exemplary state transition diagram 400 illustrating a
plurality of stages of a Mean Opinion Score determination in an
upstream direction, meaning a perceived quality of experience from
audio generation device 415 via telephony system 410 to call
generation device 405. Audio generation device 415 plays an alive
tone and listens for commands 420 at predetermined intervals. Even
though a call may start 401 by call generation device 405 for the
purpose of measuring an inbound or upstream MOS, call generation
device 405 establishes a connection with audio generation device
415 before generating an outbound call 430 from call generation
device 405 to audio generation device 415, which is automatically
answered on a dedicated communication endpoint 435 connected within
telephony system 410. As connection is established, call generation
device 405 waits 440 for alive tone 425, confirms receipt 450 of
alive tone 425, before requesting audio generation device 415 to
play a predetermined reference audio file 460 in order to compare
original file quality and respective audible utterance to compare
degradation. The request to play a predetermined audio file 460
originates as a tone 465 which signals audio generation device 415
to retrieve a local copy of the predetermined audio file 460 from
its local memory, and prepare local copy of requested reference
audio file 467 for playback. Audio generation device 415 audibly
plays local copy of reference audio file 468 over telephony system
410 as an audible file 469. Call generation device 405 captures
audio file 469 as it would have been heard, an utterance 470,
processes captured utterance using PESQ algorithm to calculate Mean
Opinion Score 480, then records and logs MOS result 490 before
terminating the call 499.
FIG. 5 is another exemplary state transition diagram 500
illustrating a plurality of stages of a Mean Opinion Score
determination in a downstream direction, meaning a perceived
quality of experience from call generation device 505 via telephony
system 510 to audio generation device 515. Audio generation device
515 plays an alive tone and listens for commands 520 at
predetermined intervals. Even though a call may start 501 by call
generation device 505 for the purpose of measuring an outbound or
downstream MOS, call generation device 505 establishes a connection
with audio generation device 515 before generating an outbound call
530 from call generation device 505 to audio generation device 515,
which is automatically answered 535 on a dedicated communication
endpoint connected within telephony system 510. As connection is
established, call generation device 505 waits 540 for alive tone
525, confirms receipt 550, and by playing a tone 556, alerts audio
generation device to capture an audible utterance 555. Upon receipt
of tone 556, audio generation device 515 begins capturing utterance
557 while call generation device 505 plays reference audio file 560
as an audible speech-like sound 561. Audio generation device 515
captures audio file 561 as an utterance 562 then processes the
captured utterance file 562 to calculate a Mean Opinion Score using
PESQ algorithm 567. Audio generation device 515 communicates the
MOS result with check digit twice 570 by playing an audible speech
file 575 speaking the MOS results back to call generation device
505, where results are recognized and logged 580 by the call
generation device 505. Audio generation device 515 replays captured
utterance file 585 as an audio file 590 back to call generation
device 505 which stores 595 utterance file 590 before terminating
the call 599. Call generation device 110 may wait for audio
generation device 170 to become idle before alerting it to capture
an audible utterance. Call generation device 110 may wait for a
plurality of time intervals, which in this particular example, may
equate to multiples of ten seconds, to confirm availability. When
audio generation device 170 confirms its availability, call
generation device 110 plays a reference file 561 then alerts audio
generation device 170 to stop capturing and store audio file 561 as
an utterance file 565, and produce a tone 566 sent to the audio
generation device to inform of the cessation of audio capture.
Audio generation device 170 sends 265 utterance file 562 back
upstream to call generation device 110, which is waiting 270 until
it is received to compare files 561 to 562 to calculate a Mean
Opinion Score.
Tones and remote commands executed between call generation device
110/405/505 and audio generation device 170/415/515 operate in a
series of frequencies, with each frequency tone representing a
specific command, as detailed in table 2300 some key functions
include a secondary (lower) tone frequency in case of traversing
telephony devices that attempt to filter high frequency tones
(shriek rejection):
TABLE-US-00001 Frequency Mark Command Line (Hertz) Action 2301
REQUEST-GET VOLUME 1400/550 AGD responds with current volume level
of AGD 2302 REQUEST-VOLUME-UP 1300/600 AGD increases persistent
volume by one increment 2303 REQUEST-VOLUME-DOWN 1350/650 AGD
decreases persistent volume by one increment 2304
PREPARE-FOR-REFERENCE 1000/500 AGD prepares to capture then process
against a default, predetermined audio reference file
(reference.wav) 2305 PREPARE-FOR-REFERENCE-A 1050 AGD prepares to
capture then process against an alternate audio reference file
(reference-alt-a.wav) 2306 PREPARE-FOR-REFERENCE-B 1075 AGD
prepares to capture then process against an alternate audio
reference file (reference-alt-b.wav) 2307 PREPARE-FOR-REFERENCE-C
1150 AGD prepares to capture then process against an alternate
audio reference file (reference-alt-c.wav) 2308
PREPARE-FOR-REFERENCE-D 1200 AGD prepares to capture then process
against an alternate audio reference file (reference-alt-d.wav)
2309 PREPARE-FOR-REFERENCE-E 2045 AGD prepares to capture then
process against an alternate audio reference file
(reference-alt-e.wav) 2310 END-OF-REFERENCE 1500/800 AGD stops
capturing degraded audio, processes captured utterance, responds
with MOS result, replays captured audio. 2311 PLAY-REFERENCE
1750/750 AGD plays default reference audio file (reference.wav) to
be captured and processed for degradation by call generation
device. 2312 PLAY-REFERENCE-A 1800 AGD plays an alternate reference
audio (reference-alt-a.wav) to be captured and processed for
degradation by call generation device. 2313 PLAY-REFERENCE-B 1850
AGD plays an alternate reference audio (reference-alt-b.wav) to be
captured and processed for degradation by call generation device.
2314 PLAY-REFERENCE-C 1900 AGD plays an alternate reference audio
(reference-alt-c.wav) to be captured and processed for degradation
by call generation device. 2315 PLAY-REFERENCE-D 1950 AGD plays an
alternate reference audio (reference-alt-d.wav) to be captured and
processed for degradation by call generation device. 2316
PLAY-REFERENCE-E 2000 AGD plays an alternate reference audio
(reference-alt-e.wav) to be captured and processed for degradation
by call generation device. 2317 REQUEST-REBOOT-SOFT 2100 For
administration purposes only, AGD will attempt to close running
processes and reboot. 2318 REQUEST-REBOOT-HARD 2150 For
administration purposes only, AGD will immediately reboot.
FIG. 6 illustrates a method 600 which may be inserted into either
method 200 or method 300, interjected between method steps 212 and
215 or 312 and 315, respectively, and in this example, allows for
volume settings and signal power adjustments to be made prior to
proceeding to either step 215 or 315. It is crucial that volume
settings on both communication endpoint 150 and the connected audio
generation device 170 are aligned and balanced in order to obtain
accurate MOS results. If volume settings are not balanced between
communication endpoint 150 and audio generation device 170, skewed
MOS results may occur. Accordingly, the inventor has conceived and
reduced to practice, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, a
prescribed list of settings for specific communication endpoint 150
makes and models, along with their corresponding preferred volume
settings for the connected audio generation device 170. In an
instance where call generation device 110 determines that volume
settings may be imbalanced, method 600 may be executed. Call
generation device 110 waits 205/305 to receive an alive tone
425/525 from audio generation device 170 before requesting
communication endpoint volume result 605. Audio generation device
170 plays 610 result back to call generation device 110, which
records signal power 615. Call generation device 110 waits for
audio generation device 170 to become idle 620 before requesting
audio generation device 170 volume level 625. In response, audio
generation device 170 plays volume level 630 back to call
generation device 110 then transitions to an idle state 635 whereby
the elected process method resumes 640. Either method 200 resumes
via method step 215, or method 300 resumes via method step 315.
FIG. 7 is a system diagram of a preferred embodiment of a device
for mapping and line leveling of pins from an RJ9 socket to a TRRS
socket. An RJ9 socket 710, commonly used for handsets for telephone
equipment, is present, and has each pin forwarded to a set of 720.
Each pin is labeled with a number, 1, 2, 3, and 4, on FIG. 7, and
connects to a series of multiplexers 720. Each pin from an RJ9 jack
710 connects to the corresponding input pin on each of four
multiplexers 721, 722, 723, and 724, in other words, pin 1 connects
to the corresponding first input pin of each of the four
multiplexers 720, pin 2 connects to the corresponding second input
pin of each multiplexer, and so on for all four input pins 1, 2, 3,
and 4. Multiplexers 721 and 722 may be connected to each other by
being on the same component, that is a two-multiplexer circuit
component, and likewise, multiplexers 723 and 724 may be on another
component together. Each multiplexer then forwards any input, using
a given input configuration for each, to a group of digital
potentiometers or digipots 730. For a multiplexer 721, output is
wired to a digital potentiometer 731. Likewise, for a multiplexer
722, output is wired to a digipot 732, and for a multiplexer 723,
output is wired to a digipot 733, and finally for a multiplexer
724, output is wired to a digipot 734. Two digital potentiometers
may be connected and on the same circuit component, as in a similar
case to two given multiplexers 720. For example, as shown in FIG.
7, a digital potentiometer 731 may be connected to a digital
potentiometer 732, and a digital potentiometer 733 may be connected
to a fourth potentiometer 734. At least one microcontroller device
740 may use software programming to control the configurations of a
system of multiplexers 720 and digital potentiometers 730, which
may be programmed beforehand to alter configurations of
multiplexers 720 and digital potentiometers 730 under varying
circumstances, determined by input from an RJ9 socket 710. Digital
potentiometers 730 may be used in a resistor-ladder configuration
to match impedance of incoming signals from 720, before sending
resulting signals to a Tip-Ring-Ring-Sleeve (TRRS) socket 750,
whereby, using this circuitry, a headset having a TRRS-type audio
jack may be used with telephone equipment having an RJ9 telephone
connector socket, without loss of quality of functionality due to
configuration discovery as illustrated in FIG. 8.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a method of configuration discovery
for novel or unknown configurations, according to an aspect. In the
event that an RJ9 pin configuration is not known, such as in the
case of a novel or unknown phone headset design entering the
market, 720 will use a first input configuration 810, before audio
is generated by an audio generation device 170, 820, to be used for
testing the chosen pin configuration 810. Using at least one
digital potentiometer or "digipot" 930, 731, 732, 733, 734, signal
attenuation may be compensated for 830 by comparing signal
strengths and using a resistor-ladder approach to normalize signal
strengths in the system. Using a method for a Mean Opinion Score
(MOS) of audio quality based on either FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, 840, the
results and Mean Opinion Score (MOS) of the test are recorded 850
in a datastore 120. Configurations are attempted procedurally over
and over with new pin input configurations being chosen 810 for
both multiplexers 720, with results 840 of audio tests 820 as in
FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 being recorded in a datastore 120. When all
configurations have been attempted, an optimal configuration is
chosen from all tested configurations 860, the optimal
configuration being one which has the highest MOS of all tested
configurations. In this way, a novel phone device may be
procedurally tested for pin configurations in its headset jack, in
order to find an optimal pin mapping for use in audio generation,
if such a configuration is not already known.
FIG. 9 is an exemplary system diagram of another preferred
embodiment of a device for mapping and line leveling of pins from
an RJ9 socket to a TRRS socket. An RJ9 jack 710, commonly used for
headset technology in phone landlines, is present, and has each pin
forwarded to a set of 910, 920. In this embodiment, each
multiplexer is a 2-in-1 4-channel multiplexer 910, 920, which means
that each component is a chip that contains two 4-input
multiplexers on it, for a functional total of four multiplexers,
similar to FIG. 7. Each pin is labeled with a number, 1, 2, 3, and
4, on FIG. 7, and connects to a series of multiplexers 910, 920.
Each pin from an RJ9 jack 710 connects to the corresponding input
pin on each of four multiplexers 910, 920, in other words, pin 1
connects to the corresponding first input pin of each input channel
on all four multiplexers 910, 920, pin 2 connects to the
corresponding second input pin of each multiplexer, and so on for
all four input pins 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each multiplexer then forwards
any input, using a given input configuration for each, to a
4-channel digital potentiometer (digipot) 930. A Digital
potentiometer 930 may be used in a resistor-ladder configuration to
match impedance of incoming signals from 910, 920, before sending
resulting signals to a Tip-Ring-Ring-Sleeve (TRRS) socket 750,
whereby, using this circuitry, a headset using an RJ9 jack 710
configuration, may be optimized and converted to being used in a
TRRS jack, without loss of quality of functionality due to
configuration discovery as illustrated in FIG. 8. A voltage
converter 940 may be present in the circuit for the purpose of
converting inconsistent voltages to a consistent voltage, for the
purpose of reducing noise in the circuit.
Hardware Architecture
Generally, the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented on
hardware or a combination of software and hardware. For example,
they may be implemented in an operating system kernel, in a
separate user process, in a library package bound into network
applications, on a specially constructed machine, on an
application-specific integrated circuit ("ASIC"), or on a network
interface card.
Software/hardware hybrid implementations of at least some of the
aspects disclosed herein may be implemented on a programmable
network-resident machine (which should be understood to include
intermittently connected network-aware machines) selectively
activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in memory.
Such network devices may have multiple network interfaces that may
be configured or designed to utilize different types of network
communication protocols. A general architecture for some of these
machines may be described herein in order to illustrate one or more
exemplary means by which a given unit of functionality may be
implemented. According to specific aspects, at least some of the
features or functionalities of the various aspects disclosed herein
may be implemented on one or more general-purpose computers
associated with one or more networks, such as for example an
end-user computer system, a client computer, a network server or
other server system, a mobile computing device (e.g., tablet
computing device, mobile phone, smartphone, laptop, or other
appropriate computing device), a consumer electronic device, a
music player, or any other suitable electronic device, router,
switch, or other suitable device, or any combination thereof. In at
least some aspects, at least some of the features or
functionalities of the various aspects disclosed herein may be
implemented in one or more virtualized computing environments
(e.g., network computing clouds, virtual machines hosted on one or
more physical computing machines, or other appropriate virtual
environments).
Referring now to FIG. 10, there is shown a block diagram depicting
an exemplary computing device 10 suitable for implementing at least
a portion of the features or functionalities disclosed herein.
Computing device 10 may be, for example, any one of the computing
machines listed in the previous paragraph, or indeed any other
electronic device capable of executing software- or hardware-based
instructions according to one or more programs stored in memory.
Computing device 10 may be configured to communicate with a
plurality of other computing devices, such as clients or servers,
over communications networks such as a wide area network a
metropolitan area network, a local area network, a wireless
network, the Internet, or any other network, using known protocols
for such communication, whether wireless or wired.
In one embodiment, computing device 10 includes one or more central
processing units (CPU) 12, one or more interfaces 15, and one or
more busses 14 (such as a peripheral component interconnect (PCI)
bus). When acting under the control of appropriate software or
firmware, CPU 12 may be responsible for implementing specific
functions associated with the functions of a specifically
configured computing device or machine. For example, in at least
one embodiment, a computing device 10 may be configured or designed
to function as a server system utilizing CPU 12, local memory 11
and/or remote memory 16, and interface(s) 15. In at least one
embodiment, CPU 12 may be caused to perform one or more of the
different types of functions and/or operations under the control of
software modules or components, which for example, may include an
operating system and any appropriate applications software,
drivers, and the like.
CPU 12 may include one or more processors 13 such as, for example,
a processor from one of the Intel, ARM, Qualcomm, and AMD families
of microprocessors. In some embodiments, processors 13 may include
specially designed hardware such as application-specific integrated
circuits (ASICs), electrically erasable programmable read-only
memories (EEPROMs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and so
forth, for controlling operations of computing device 10. In a
specific embodiment, a local memory 11 (such as non-volatile random
access memory (RAM) and/or read-only memory (ROM), including for
example one or more levels of cached memory) may also form part of
CPU 12. However, there are many different ways in which memory may
be coupled to system 10. Memory 11 may be used for a variety of
purposes such as, for example, caching and/or storing data,
programming instructions, and the like. It should be further
appreciated that CPU 12 may be one of a variety of system-on-a-chip
(SOC) type hardware that may include additional hardware such as
memory or graphics processing chips, such as a QUALCOMM
SNAPDRAGON.TM. or SAMSUNG EXYNOS.TM. CPU as are becoming
increasingly common in the art, such as for use in mobile devices
or integrated devices.
As used herein, the term "processor" is not limited merely to those
integrated circuits referred to in the art as a processor, a mobile
processor, or a microprocessor, but broadly refers to a
microcontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller,
an application-specific integrated circuit, and any other
programmable circuit.
In one embodiment, interfaces 15 are provided as network interface
cards (NICs). Generally, NICs control the sending and receiving of
data packets over a computer network; other types of interfaces 15
may for example support other peripherals used with computing
device 10. Among the interfaces that may be provided are Ethernet
interfaces, frame relay interfaces, cable interfaces, DSL
interfaces, token ring interfaces, graphics interfaces, and the
like. In addition, various types of interfaces may be provided such
as, for example, universal serial bus (USB), Serial, Ethernet,
FIREWIRE.TM., THUNDERBOLT.TM., PCI, parallel, radio frequency (RF),
BLUETOOTH.TM., near-field communications (e.g., using near-field
magnetics), 1502.11 (WiFi), frame relay, TCP/IP, ISDN, fast
Ethernet interfaces, Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, Serial ATA (SATA)
or external SATA (ESATA) interfaces, high-definition multimedia
interface (HDMI), digital visual interface (DVI), analog or digital
audio interfaces, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) interfaces,
high-speed serial interface (HSSI) interfaces, Point of Sale (POS)
interfaces, fiber data distributed interfaces (FDDIs), and the
like. Generally, such interfaces 15 may include physical ports
appropriate for communication with appropriate media. In some
cases, they may also include an independent processor (such as a
dedicated audio or video processor, as is common in the art for
high-fidelity AN hardware interfaces) and, in some instances,
volatile and/or non-volatile memory (e.g., RAM).
Although the system shown in FIG. 10 illustrates one specific
architecture for a computing device 10 for implementing one or more
of the inventions described herein, it is by no means the only
device architecture on which at least a portion of the features and
techniques described herein may be implemented. For example,
architectures having one or any number of processors 13 may be
used, and such processors 13 may be present in a single device or
distributed among any number of devices. In one embodiment, a
single processor 13 handles communications as well as routing
computations, while in other embodiments a separate dedicated
communications processor may be provided. In various embodiments,
different types of features or functionalities may be implemented
in a system according to the invention that includes a client
device (such as a tablet device or smartphone running client
software) and server systems (such as a server system described in
more detail below).
Regardless of network device configuration, the system of the
present invention may employ one or more memories or memory modules
(such as, for example, remote memory block 16 and local memory 11)
configured to store data, program instructions for the
general-purpose network operations, or other information relating
to the functionality of the embodiments described herein (or any
combinations of the above). Program instructions may control
execution of or comprise an operating system and/or one or more
applications, for example. Memory 16 or memories 11, 16 may also be
configured to store data structures, configuration data, encryption
data, historical system operations information, or any other
specific or generic non-program information described herein.
Because such information and program instructions may be employed
to implement one or more systems or methods described herein, at
least some network device embodiments may include nontransitory
machine-readable storage media, which, for example, may be
configured or designed to store program instructions, state
information, and the like for performing various operations
described herein. Examples of such nontransitory machine-readable
storage media include, but are not limited to, magnetic media such
as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such
as CD-ROM disks; magneto-optical media such as optical disks, and
hardware devices that are specially configured to store and perform
program instructions, such as read-only memory devices (ROM), flash
memory (as is common in mobile devices and integrated systems),
solid state drives (SSD) and "hybrid SSD" storage drives that may
combine physical components of solid state and hard disk drives in
a single hardware device (as are becoming increasingly common in
the art with regard to personal computers), memristor memory,
random access memory (RAM), and the like. It should be appreciated
that such storage means may be integral and non-removable (such as
RAM hardware modules that may be soldered onto a motherboard or
otherwise integrated into an electronic device), or they may be
removable such as swappable flash memory modules (such as "thumb
drives" or other removable media designed for rapidly exchanging
physical storage devices), "hot-swappable" hard disk drives or
solid state drives, removable optical storage discs, or other such
removable media, and that such integral and removable storage media
may be utilized interchangeably. Examples of program instructions
include both object code, such as may be produced by a compiler,
machine code, such as may be produced by an assembler or a linker,
byte code, such as may be generated by for example a JAVA.TM.
compiler and may be executed using a Java virtual machine or
equivalent, or files containing higher level code that may be
executed by the computer using an interpreter (for example, scripts
written in Python, Perl, Ruby, Groovy, or any other scripting
language).
In some embodiments, systems according to the present invention may
be implemented on a standalone computing system. Referring now to
FIG. 11, there is shown a block diagram depicting a typical
exemplary architecture of one or more embodiments or components
thereof on a standalone computing system. Computing device 20
includes processors 21 that may run software that carry out one or
more functions or applications of embodiments of the invention,
such as for example a client application 24. Processors 21 may
carry out computing instructions under control of an operating
system 22 such as, for example, a version of MICROSOFT WINDOWS.TM.
operating system, APPLE OSX.TM. or iOS.TM. operating systems, some
variety of the Linux operating system, ANDROID.TM. operating
system, or the like. In many cases, one or more shared services 23
may be operable in system 20, and may be useful for providing
common services to client applications 24. Services 23 may for
example be WINDOWS.TM. services, user-space common services in a
Linux environment, or any other type of common service architecture
used with operating system 21. Input devices 28 may be of any type
suitable for receiving user input, including for example a
keyboard, touchscreen, microphone (for example, for voice input),
mouse, touchpad, trackball, or any combination thereof. Output
devices 27 may be of any type suitable for providing output to one
or more users, whether remote or local to system 20, and may
include for example one or more screens for visual output,
speakers, printers, or any combination thereof. Memory 25 may be
random-access memory having any structure and architecture known in
the art, for use by processors 21, for example to run software.
Storage devices 26 may be any magnetic, optical, mechanical,
memristor, or electrical storage device for storage of data in
digital form (such as those described above, referring to FIG. 10).
Examples of storage devices 26 include flash memory, magnetic hard
drive, CD-ROM, and/or the like.
In some embodiments, systems of the present invention may be
implemented on a distributed computing network, such as one having
any number of clients and/or servers. Referring now to FIG. 12,
there is shown a block diagram depicting an exemplary architecture
30 for implementing at least a portion of a system according to an
embodiment of the invention on a distributed computing network.
According to the embodiment, any number of clients 33 may be
provided. Each client 33 may run software for implementing
client-side portions of the present invention; clients may comprise
a system 20 such as that illustrated in FIG. 11. In addition, any
number of servers 32 may be provided for handling requests received
from one or more clients 33. Clients 33 and servers 32 may
communicate with one another via one or more electronic networks
31, which may be in various embodiments any of the Internet, a wide
area network, a mobile telephony network (such as CDMA or GSM
cellular networks), a wireless network (such as WiFi, WiMAX, LTE,
and so forth), or a local area network (or indeed any network
topology known in the art; the invention does not prefer any one
network topology over any other). Networks 31 may be implemented
using any known network protocols, including for example wired
and/or wireless protocols.
In addition, in some embodiments, servers 32 may call external
services 37 when needed to obtain additional information, or to
refer to additional data concerning a particular call.
Communications with external services 37 may take place, for
example, via one or more networks 31. In various embodiments,
external services 37 may comprise web-enabled services or
functionality related to or installed on the hardware device
itself. For example, in an embodiment where client applications 24
are implemented on a smartphone or other electronic device, client
applications 24 may obtain information stored in a server system 32
in the cloud or on an external service 37 deployed on one or more
of a particular enterprise's or user's premises.
In some embodiments of the invention, clients 33 or servers 32 (or
both) may make use of one or more specialized services or
appliances that may be deployed locally or remotely across one or
more networks 31. For example, one or more datastores 34 may be
used or referred to by one or more embodiments of the invention. It
should be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that
data stores 34 may be arranged in a wide variety of architectures
and using a wide variety of data access and manipulation means. For
example, in various embodiments one or more datastores 34 may
comprise a relational datastore system using a structured query
language (SQL), while others may comprise an alternative data
storage technology such as those referred to in the art as "NoSQL"
(for example, HADOOP CASSANDRA.TM., GOOGLE BIGTABLE.TM., and so
forth). In some embodiments, variant datastore architectures such
as column-oriented datastores, in-memory datastores, clustered
datastores, distributed datastores, or even flat file data
repositories may be used according to the invention. It will be
appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art that any
combination of known or future datastore technologies may be used
as appropriate, unless a specific datastore technology or a
specific arrangement of components is specified for a particular
embodiment herein. Moreover, it should be appreciated that the term
"datastore" as used herein may refer to a physical datastore
machine, a cluster of machines acting as a single datastore system,
or a logical datastore within an overall datastore management
system. Unless a specific meaning is specified for a given use of
the term "datastore", it should be construed to mean any of these
senses of the word, all of which are understood as a plain meaning
of the term "datastore" by those having ordinary skill in the
art.
Similarly, most embodiments of the invention may make use of one or
more security systems 36 and configuration systems 35. Security and
configuration management are common information technology (IT) and
web functions, and some amount of each are generally associated
with any IT or web systems. It should be understood by one having
ordinary skill in the art that any configuration or security
subsystems known in the art now or in the future may be used in
conjunction with embodiments of the invention without limitation,
unless a specific security 36 or configuration system 35 or
approach is specifically required by the description of any
specific embodiment.
FIG. 13 shows an exemplary overview of a computer system 40 as may
be used in any of the various locations throughout the system. It
is exemplary of any computer that may execute code to process data.
Various modifications and changes may be made to computer system 40
without departing from the broader scope of the system and method
disclosed herein. Central processor unit (CPU) 41 is connected to
bus 42, to which bus is also connected memory 43, nonvolatile
memory 44, display 47, input/output (I/O) unit 48, and network
interface card (NIC) 53. I/O unit 48 may, typically, be connected
to keyboard 49, pointing device 50, hard disk 52, and real-time
clock 51. NIC 53 connects to network 54, which may be the Internet
or a local network, which local network may or may not have
connections to the Internet. Also shown as part of system 40 is
power supply unit 45 connected, in this example, to a main
alternating current (AC) supply 46. Not shown are batteries that
could be present, and many other devices and modifications that are
well known but are not applicable to the specific novel functions
of the current system and method disclosed herein. It should be
appreciated that some or all components illustrated may be
combined, such as in various integrated applications, for example
Qualcomm or Samsung system-on-a-chip (SOC) devices, or whenever it
may be appropriate to combine multiple capabilities or functions
into a single hardware device (for instance, in mobile devices such
as smartphones, video game consoles, in-vehicle computer systems
such as navigation or multimedia systems in automobiles, or other
integrated hardware devices).
In various embodiments, functionality for implementing systems or
methods of the present invention may be distributed among any
number of client and/or server components. For example, various
software modules may be implemented for performing various
functions in connection with the present invention, and such
modules may be variously implemented to run on server and/or client
components.
The skilled person will be aware of a range of possible
modifications of the various embodiments described above.
Accordingly, the present invention is defined by the claims and
their equivalents.
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